


Black Canary

by MissLuxe



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel, Maximum Ride - James Patterson
Genre: Blackmail, F/M, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapping, Organized Crime, Terrigen, Wings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9059236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissLuxe/pseuds/MissLuxe
Summary: Maximum Ride is just your ordinary cheerleader-by-day, crime-lord-by-night teen. That is, until a ghost from her past comes back to haunt her. Cue kidnappings, betrayals, terrigen crystals, inhumans, jealousy, wings, and a pretty pissed-off flock. Fax.





	1. Chapter 1

Maximum “Max” Ride smiled at Ella Martinez as they sat across from each other at the crowded lunch table. Amongst her countless companions, the football players rowdy and teasing the flirtatious cheerleaders, Ella was the only one that Max actually considered a friend, the only one that didn't seem to like her simply because of her popularity. Perhaps it was because they had known each other since freshman year, when both were transfer students and before they’d joined the cheer team together. Whatever the reason, Ella’s presence calmed her, filling the atmosphere with the type of positive energy that only her co-captain could. That sense of peace was shattered when Max’s phone began vibrating, and she absently picked it up.  


“My my, darling, we've been out of touch for far too long.” The honeyed voice sent chills down her spine and Max glanced covertly around, trying to ensure that she wasn't drawing attention. Unfortunately, she caught Ella’s curious gaze as she growled back.  


“You're dead.” Her statement was met by a chuckle.  


“It would seem that you're wrong. I'm very much alive. In fact, I'm in town for a visit to my favorite little family. You know, the ones that tried to kill me.”  


“Guess they didn't try hard enough. Let's cut to the chase; what do you want?” The threat that lay evident in her voice began to draw the attention of her table-mates, and so she made a vague hand motion, signaling that all was fine. She strolled a few yards away, her hand keeping a white-knuckled grip on her phone.  


“Oh my dear, this isn't about what I want; it's about what you want. Or, more specifically, who.” A familiar voice came on before Max could ask what the hell he was talking about.  


“Max, don't listen to him. He’ll leave if he can't get-” Max’s heart almost stopped. Angel. The youngest of the “family” they'd created, she was only a freshman and had only recently entered the crime ring with her brother. She was brave, but Max knew her well enough to pick up the slight tremble in her voice, the underlying pain. As soon as Max’s heart began to beat again, her blood boiled.  


“Brave, isn't she? And very difficult to catch. You've taught her well. But enough of the trivialities; I'm prepared to make an offer.” Max scowled. The idea of dealing with Mad Jackson made her sick, but if it was the only way to save Angel, then she'd take it. Clearing her throat, she spoke up.  


“What do you want? We’ve got Metal, Blue, Green...Hell, we could arrange for some Red if that's what it takes.”  


“I want Flesh.” Max's expression darkened further.  


“We don't deal in Flesh. Too messy. You know that.”  


“Oh, but I think you'll make an exception. You see, this isn't regular Flesh. This is specific, easy to get.”  


“Then you can get it yourself.”  


“I would, but…it's you.”  


“Me?”  


“Yes, you. I'll make the exchange at the Willow, at sunset. You for her. Bring a second, no one else.” The line went dead, and Max allowed herself one second in which to let herself internally crumple, to consider Angel’s words. One second, and then she was back into leader mode, calling Fang. Her second took entirely too long to pick up, especially as he wasn't at school (he'd feigned sick in order to oversee the delivery of a new shipment of Blue).  


“Max? Aren't you in school right now?”  


“You told me Mad Jackson was dead.”  


“He is. I pushed him off that building myself.”  


“Then how the hell did I just talk to him?”  


“What? Max, you're not making any sense.”  


“Nevermind that, I'll explain the whole thing later. Point is, he's got Angel and he wants a trade. For me. It's going down at the Willow tonight, and I can only bring you. Tell Iggy to keep Gazzy occupied until Angel’s back in our hands. I’ll be at the Warehouse at 7:30. Prep some metal; he’d be a fool not to try to double-cross us.” She hung up before he could reply and took a deep breath to steady herself before returning to her table. Ella gaped at her as she sat.  


“What the Hell was all that?” Max hated keeping things from Ella, she really did. But the lifestyle that she lived was not one that she would wish upon her best friend, and now was certainly not the time. So she lied through her teeth to one of the only people in the world that she could trust.  


“All what?”  


“‘All what?’ You answer your phone, look like you’ve seen a ghost, go off and shout at whoever you were talking to, then come back like everything’s fine.” Ella lowered her voice and glanced around. “Unlike these airheads, I know you. So don’t shut me out!” Max sighed in resignation and allowed some of her fear to show on her face.  


“It’s an ex. He says he knows where I am and that I better do what he says.”  


“Ohmygod, Max! Why didn’t you tell me? You should go home and lay low for a while. I’ll tell the nurse you had cramps or something, m’kay?” Max smiled in appreciation, already grabbing her things. She had a lot to prepare for.


	2. Dealing with the Devil

Though she didn’t allow herself to express it outwardly, Max was terrified. She knew that Mad Jackson would likely torture her and kill her because she’d rejected his advances and, well, tried to kill him. All he seemed to care about was causing them pain and suffering. Well, the family would definitely suffer. Fang would step up into her position as leader, but despite his competence he just wasn’t as good as her. They’d likely be dead within months.  


Fang’s shoulder bumping gently against hers brought her back into the present, and together they surveyed the area. They had positioned themselves on top of the Willow, a trendy nightclub popular with Max’s daytime friends that also happened to be the cover for the region’s crime hub. There was only a minute until sunrise, and yet there was no sign yet of Mad Jackson or Angel. Max rolled her shoulders and felt for the hard metal of the gun under her jacket.  


“You think he’s changed his mind? Maybe he won’t show.”  


“I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, Maxie.” She and Fang whirled, as one, to find Mad Jackson sitting on the edge of the roof, one of his strong hands wrapped around an unconscious Angel’s delicate throat. He casually held her closer to the edge, and Fang grabbed Max’s arm in warning as she started forwards in protest. “Ah ah ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It’d be a real shame if my hand were to slip.” He punctuated the last word with a jerk of his hand that left Angel hanging out over empty space.  


Max clenched her jaw, eyes flashing dangerously.  


“Now, as much as I love chatting with you, and I really do, let's cut to the chase. Max for Angel. I’ve got a car waiting on the street. The black one there, you see it? Good. Now, I want you to go down there, alone. Fang can take Angel as soon as you're inside.”  


Max felt her heart begin hammering as if it was trying to burst out of her chest. She glanced around, but still could find no way out of this without Angel dying too. 

So, she gave Fang what she hoped was a reassuring nod and started towards the stairs, pausing at the top.  


“If she dies, so do you.” She left her threat hanging in the air. It didn't take Mad Jackson long to slide into the front of the SUV, and suddenly she was at the complete mercy of her greatest enemy.


	3. Pampered Prisoner

Max awoke in a dark room with the worst headache of her life. The last thing that she remembered was a dull yellow gas being released into the back of the car with an ominous hiss and her world fading to black. She lay still for a second longer, steadying herself and trying to get a feel for her surroundings. The room she was in was dark and cool, but lacked the mustiness of the cell she'd expected. She was in a large, comfortable bed, also unexpected, and completely naked. A shiver ran up her spine as she tried not to imagine who might've undressed her. Max realized with a jolt that someone was shifting beside her, and a large hand came to rest on her shoulder. Mad Jackson’s smug voice filled her ear and she tried to jerk away, but his grip only tightened.  


“Good morning sleeping beauty. I hope you're ready to get up; we've got a lot to do today.”  


Bile rose to her throat as he pressed a kiss to her collarbone.  


“Bathroom’s on your side, you can take a shower while I have someone prepare your clothes. And don't worry, darling, I won't peek.” He stood with a chuckle, and Max averted her eyes, choosing instead to remain covered until he had left. Once he had done so, she stumbled out of bed and attempted to soothe her nerves and headache under the steady stream of hot water. The shower only served to further unsteady her, however, when she reached for the shampoo and found that it was an old favorite of hers, and a scent that she remembered Jackson say that he liked back when he'd been known as Dylan and a part of the “family”. She quickly finished and stepped out, realizing with a jolt that a pretty girl about her age dressed in a simple linen dress was standing there waiting for her. The girl gestured towards a stack of clothes that she had brought, and didn't hesitate to swiftly help Max into them. Max was then ushered into a luxurious chair in front of the vanity as the girl began to do her hair.  


“Oh, don't worry, I can do it.” But the girl shook her head and swatted her hands away. It was then that Max noticed the black band clasped around the girl's neck, above a tattoo of a red octopus on her collarbone. “Oh my God, is that a collar?” The girl set her lips in a thin line in response and Max took a closer look, this time noticing a metallic box attached to the back of the band. “A shock collar?”  


“Well you must understand that I need to keep my workers under control, Max.” She swiveled to find Mad Jackson leaning against the door frame and scowled, thoroughly disgusted.  


“They aren't workers, they're slaves! Are you going to put one on me, too?” He shrugged easily.  


“Only if you can't behave. Now let's get you in front of this big mirror over here.”  


She complied, if only because the slave girl gave her a look of warning that chilled her to the bone. Max had been too busy reflecting on her predicament to pay attention to her attire but as she gazed in the mirror her curiosity was piqued. She'd been given a deep blue and black sports bra, matching spandex shorts, and nothing to cover her feet. Her hair was done into two long boxer braids/cornrows, and her makeup was minimal. She couldn't help but wonder what the point of the outfit was, as it was revealing but not necessarily sexy, and therefore wasn't likely meant to be humiliating.  


“Now, time to get to the grand tour. Follow me. You, stay here and tidy up, then report to the kitchen.” The slave immediately began doing as told, and Max allowed herself to be led out, hoping to find possible escape routes. She decided to distract Jackson from her obvious search by pretending interest in the living arrangements.  


“What should I call her?”  


“Who, the girl back there? You shouldn't call her anything. You simply give her an order, and she'll follow it.”  


“That's horrible! How many of them are there? How did you get them? Can she even speak?”  


“There are as many as I need, and I have a few friends who supply me. As for speaking, well, it doesn't help her do her job. Now, enough about her. You stop trying to find a way out, and I'll start the tour, okay?”  


Max frowned and turned her attention towards figuring out where she was and memorizing the building. She discovered that they were in a small skyscraper on the edge of the city (though exactly where she couldn't tell) and the two of them shared the penthouse; there were kitchens, gyms, lounges, and offices for both them and Mad Jackson’s non-slave employees; and almost all of the non-paperwork work was done in the many basement floors. As she was led into one wing of the basement marked “Experiments”, Max couldn't help but wonder how Mad Jackson could have raised enough funds and created such a conspicuous headquarters (at least in criminal terms) without her knowing about it. After all, she ran the biggest crime ring in the region.  


Max was torn from her thoughts by the opening of a door as one of the slaves that she recognized from the kitchen tour was dragged into the laboratory by a guard.  


“This one was just caught attempting to poison some soup, sir.” Mad Jackson’s handsome face twisted with cruelty.  


“Excellent, excellent, strap him down here. Maxie, darling, you're about to see why my special friends that I told you about earlier are funding me. You see, they're not interested in the drugs or weapons. No, they're interested in a more noble pursuit: the evolution of humanity. Not everyone can be evolved, unfortunately, but I like to think of it as natural selection. Now, thanks to this handy little mineral called terrigen, this little guy is going to have the honor that many may only dream of.” With that, he gripped a small crystal with a pair of tongs and held it against the slave’s skin.  


For one heart-stopping moment, there was no effect. Then the man’s screams filled the air as his skin began to change.


	4. Unveiled Threats

In under 30 seconds the man’s skin had become covered in solid rock and his screams abruptly cut off. Max backed away in horror and Mad Jackson sighed.

“Fifth one this week. We’ve only had two successes and even those were weak. But, no matter. Once my scientists have perfected a new serum to be used with the terrigen, the successes should be more...useful to my special friends.

Now, this is where you come in. They want the best possible specimen to be the first to test it, and well, I couldn't help but think of you. Unfortunately, my recommendation wasn't exactly enough to secure you the honor; first you must prove yourself.”

“Thanks, but I think I'll pass.”

He grinned.

“Oh Maxie, you really don't have a choice. If you don't then I'll just have to try to turn you without the serum, and you saw how unstable that could be. Now let's go start your first test!” Max glanced back to where a lab assistant was removing the slave’s remains and shuddered before hurrying after her captor.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Maximum Ride fic, I hope you enjoy!  
> Much love, Miss Luxe


End file.
